Among the Philadelphia Phillies’ rising stars, one prospect in particular has acquired tremendous traction in recent weeks in terms of potential and future value to the organization. That player is George Klassen, a former sixth-round pick who was taken by the Phillies in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher has been nothing short of spectacular in his first professional season with the Single-A Clearwater Threshers. Klassen went 2-0 in four April starts, posting a 0.57 WHIP and allowing only one unearned run. In 21 innings, he walked only five and struck out 32.
His performance earned him the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month award, as well as the Phillies’ organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Month award in April.
Phillies prospect faces injury worry after winning two Pitcher of the Month titles.
Klassen was looking to maintain his dominant performance into May until he got an injury scare during his May 3 outing against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. After cruising through the first four innings and finally giving up his first earned run of the season, he was forced to depart the game with a right upper arm/shoulder injury.
Fortunately, the Phillies say the injury is not considered to be significant, as reported by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
The news comes as a tremendous relief, since many top pitching prospects throughout the league have suffered significant injuries, including the Toronto Blue Jays’ Brandon Barriera and the Phillies’ own Andrew Painter just last season.
Klassen, the team’s No. 29 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has made significant progress since the selection, making the required adjustments to become a more productive pitcher. He has added muscle to his body to improve control, as well as fine-tuned and simplified his delivery. It would be a shame if his present injury slowed his growth and development for the upcoming season, as he appears to be moving quickly through the Phillies’ minor league system.
Hopefully, the problem is only minor, and Klassen will be able to annihilate opposition hitters again soon.
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